Ways To Incorporate Video Into Your Social Media Strategy

April 5, 2017

Video is kind of a big deal, in case you haven't noticed. Yet there are still so many businesses who are not currently incorporating video into their social media strategy. Video isn't just for your website or TV. In fact, as of this year, video content represents 74% of all internet traffic. That's just mind boggling, isn't it? If you're still not convinced, think about this for a second: 4X as many customers prefer watching videos about products versus reading about them. So if you're in the business of selling products, it's time to jump on the bandwagon and start making video a focus of your social media strategy. And if you're still on the fence, here is a fun flow chart from Wistia to help you solve the question of...should I use video on social media?

What Type Of Video Should I Produce For Each Network?

Facebook - Facebook is truly starting to challenge YouTube as the "video giant". Approximately 100 million hours of video content is being watched on Facebook on a daily basis, with a grand total of 8 billion daily video views...wow! Shorter videos are ideal for Facebook, and being many people watch videos without sound on Facebook, captions are a must. Facebook helped out in that regard in 2016 when they added automatic captioning based on voice recognition, but always make sure you review and if needed, edit, the captions for accuracy. Live video is also gaining in popularity and is watched 3X as much as regular video content.

Instagram - Instagram is another great network for video content, but make sure you keep it brief due to their video length limits. So the goal here is to create video content that is able to capture the attention of your audience quickly and is easy to digest. Instagram enables you to add videos to your story, or they can be posted directly on your feed. Because Instagram users don't tend to spend a lot of time on this network on a daily basis, it's important the thumbnail you choose for your video stands out to ensure you get the maximum level of engagement.

Twitter - The maximum video length for Twitter is 140 seconds, so this isn't the platform to use if you're looking to post tutorials or videos only showcasing your products or services. The goal here is to post videos that are entertaining. 82% of Twitter users watch video on Twitter, but 90% of the video views are on a mobile device. So it's imperative the videos you post on Twitter look great on mobile devices and that the content itself is mobile-friendly.

YouTube - YouTube is the second largest search engine and has over a billion users, with hundreds of millions of hours of content being watched on a daily basis, generating billions of views. That said, YouTube is not the place for news if you're looking to get a lot of immediate engagement. Instead, use YouTube for evergreen content, or content that provides long term value and will be as relevant in a month or two as it is now. The video content you post to YouTube needs to be very engaging, otherwise people aren't going to stick around for the entire length of your video and will bounce before you get to your call-to-action. Of course, videos posted to YouTube are prime candidates to be shared on other social media networks as well.

What Are Some Ideas For Great Video Content For Social Media?

Customer Testimonials - Reading a customer testimonial on your website or social media page is nice, but being able to watch a quick video of one is even better. First hand, video customer testimonials are much more personable, relatable, and engaging. Here is a great example of a customer testimonial video from Roku that is short, concise, and most importantly, engaging:

Behind-The-Scenes Look - Customers love content that enables them to relate to your company. In other words, content that makes your company feel warm, inviting, like a living human being, and not some big corporation run by suits. One way of doing that is by providing your customers with a behind-the-scenes look into what you have going on, whether you're filming a commercial, in the middle of launching a new product, etc. Here is a great example from Old Spice, featuring a behind-the-scenes look into the making of a commercial:

Explainer Videos - Explainer videos are gaining in popularity at a rapid rate, as they help you clarify the objective of your product or service, increase web traffic and conversion rates, rank well on Google, help your audience retain information, and the list goes on. They also have a high probability of going viral, just ask Dollar Shave Club. Here is a great example of an explainer video from Dollar Shave Club that helped launch them into an overnight sensation:

Employee Intros - If you can think of a way to humanize your brand, go for it. Using videos to do employee intros or spotlights is a prime example of humanizing your brand, regardless of the industry you're in. Your customers want to see the people behind your brand, and you can make these videos engaging by having your employees answer fun questions, discuss their hobbies, etc. Here is a fun employee intro from Brainloop:

Product Demos - Showing an image of your product and trying to describe it is okay, but having a video showing it actually being used is even better. Current and potential customers want to see your product being used in a real life application. It helps them envision how they can use that product in their day-to-day lives and will ultimately lead to increased sales for you as a result. Here is a great example of a product demo from NeverWet, where they demonstrate their product being used in a multitude of real life applications, thus showing customers how they can use it to solve problems they could be facing: